Live coverage by Stanly Maxted,from Hartenstein, during suply droppings.
Thus ended the Battle for Arnhem, but no account of it would be complete without mention of the heroic efforts made during the battle by the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force to supply the lst Airborne Division with ammunition, food, and other supplies by air, by the medical services in their treatment of the wounded, and by the local population by the information they gave, their efforts to succour the wounded and aid the escape of those left behind. The Royal Air Force had to contend with bad weather, intense opposition from fighters and flak and lack of exact knowledge of where to drop supplies, the planned dropping zones not being in the Division's hands. No wonder that much of the supplies dropped fell into enemy hands, but if ever men of the 1st Airborne Division needed inspiration it was provided by the sight of the supply dropping aircraft flying straight and level through the flak, and continuing to do so even when on fire until they had dropped their supplies.

             

The medical services of the Division had early in the battle taken over part of the Municipal hospital at Arnhem. This hospital had however by the 20th September fallen into enemy hands. The Germans however permitted the British medical personnel in the Municipal Hospital to continue the work of tending the casualties there. Much assistance was rendered by the Dutch staff of the hospital, both doctors and nurses, until this was stopped by the Germans. Other dressing stations were formed in Oosterbeek and at the Divisional Headquarter at the Hartenstein Hotel. Later, after the battle, the medical personnel of the Division were evacuated with the casualties to Apeldoorn. The majority became prisoners, but some, including Brigadier Hackett, who had been seriously wounded during the battle, and Colonel Warrack, the Chief Medical Officer of the Division, succesfully escaped. Many others including Brigadier Lathbury were concealed and fed by the local population, while arrangements for their escape were made. No praise can be too high for all those Dutch men and women who risked their lives in this way. Within a month of the withdrawal of the Division a party of 120 officers and men had crossed the river in a body. Thereafter escaping became much more difficult but for a considerable period odd groups of men continued to infiltrate across the river into the British lines.


In conclusion, it is necessary to sum up the results of this battle. In the opinion of Field-Marshall Montgomery the action of the British 1st Airborne Division against overwhelming odds held off reinforcements from Nijmegen and vitally contributed to the capture of the bridge there. On this account alone the considered that the battle had been ninety percent succesful. Finally in a letter to General Urquhart written on the 28th September 1944 he said as follows: ,In the annals of the British Army there are many glorious deeds. In our Army we have always drawn great strength and inspiration from past traditions, and endeavoured to live up to the high standards of those who have gone before. But there can be few episodes more glorious than the epic of Arnhem, and those that follow after will find it hard to live up to the high standards that you have set. So long as we have in the armies of the British Empire, officers and men who will do as you have done, then we can indeed look forward with complete confidence to the future.


In years to come it will be a great thing for a man to be able to say: " I fought at Arnhem "